Wake
by liliaeth
Summary: Faith helps Buffy deal with Spike's death (post-Chosen)


Title: Wake  
Author:Lore  
Rating:PG13 (maybe R if you're really strict)  
Timeline: Post-Chosen  
Summary: Faith tries to get Buffy to deal with Spike's death  
Notes: written for the spuffy ficathon  
  
And yep, she was still sitting there, sinking away in the dark while the rest of the superfriends where all busily rearranging their lives. God that girl needed some fun, and with Robin currently well and stuck away in New York while he was arranging their move there, she was in some pretty big need of it herself.  
  
"You need a drink." she said while aiming her finger at Buffy.  
  
Buffy stared back at her in disgust, she was still looking at something. Faith stomped into the room and grabbed it out of her hands. It was just a ring, a big shiny, totally camp skull ring. She smiled just thinking at Buffy actually wearing anything like that. Buffy jumped at her, desperate to get the ring back. Faith kept it behind her, backing off.  
  
"Faith please, give it back."  
  
Faith crossed her arms for a second, ducking a second attack.  
  
"Hmmm, let me think. No."  
  
"Damn it Faith, give it back. Now!"  
  
They were drifting closer to the danger zone. Faith just smirked to the fire, it's what she lived for.  
"The thing's just a cracker jack ring, nothing special. Why'd you want to have junk like that B?"  
  
She responded so low, Faith nearly didn't hear her, freezing as Buffy grabbed the ring back and put it on her finger. The word had been 'Spike'. Faith had no idea what to say. She'd barely even thought about the peroxide menace since they left Sunnydale behind. It wasn't hard to notice he wasn't with the survivors, but she'd been so busy with Robin that the thought hadn't even hit her mind, what the vampire's death would mean to Buffy.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"I'm really not in the mood for a drink Faith." Buffy turned away, back to her bed, back to staring at the ring.  
  
"Which is exactly why you need one in the first place."  
  
Buffy tried to protest, but Faith didn't leave her the chance. She grabbed her fellow slayer's arm and dragged Buffy with her outside. The senior slayer barely had the chance to grab a jacket before they stood on the street.  
"I really don't think this is a good idea."  
  
"Well 'I' do."  
  
"Faith, we're not even friends."  
  
Now that stung. But Faith couldn't let it stop her.  
"Which is just what you need B. Have you even talked about him? With anyone?"  
Buffy just stood there.  
"All the others, they got a memorial, but I don't think any of them bothered to think of mentioning Spike as anything other than 'he was also there'. Am I right? Tell me if I'm not, but I know I'm right."  
  
"So what? You think getting drunk is the answer?"  
  
"Yes, get sloshed, remember. It's the kinda wake he would have wanted. It's what I'd want."  
  
Buffy hid her hands on her lap. God this place was a dive. She knew her dives, Willie's, the Alibi room, several other little demon bars in Sunnydale and a few more here in London. But this rathole outbeat them all in sheer dreariness. And worst of all, it was run by and for humans. Spike would have loved it here, which made it just about perfect.  
  
Faith had ordered the drinks, leaving Buffy staring at a huge glass of warm English beer. She hadn't even touched it.  
  
"To Spike. Bottoms up." Faith lifted her glass and poured it down. Buffy just took a sip from hers, making a face as the liquid hit her throat. Faith ordered another beer, flirting with the barman as the greasy pugfaced character brought her glass.  
"So tell dear old sis Faith what you miss the most."  
  
Buffy felt struck, she grabbed the glass and poured it down, feeling ready to have it all come out the next second. Faith ordered another round.  
"His eyes." she finally managed to say. "His eyes and his hands."  
Faith leered at that last part but Buffy ignored her.  
"He could look at you, and make you believe you were the center of the universe, or take you down a peg or two with just a twitch. It's like he was an open book, all you had to do was look at his face and you could practically hear his feelings jump up at you."  
  
"And the hands?"  
Of course Faith wasn't just going to give up about that one.  
  
"They were warm." Faith rolled her eyes, Buffy wondered if that's what she looked like when she did it.  
"I know, vampire, room temperature. But when he put his hands on yours, the way he'd just touched my face, it was like turning on a heater."  
Faith was still leering.  
"And his hands could do things that I can't even spell, so don't even try and make me explain."  
  
Faith giggled and ordered another beer. Buffy just gave up and ordered another beer herself, the hell with it.  
To Spike.  
  
"He was sweet you know. Kind, caring, an utter asshole." Buffy felt a smile tug at her lips.  
"Having him love you was scary, terrifying, like going on a rollercoaster after you've just had a bender of sugarspins and hot chocolate. Like playing in the rain and finding a hundred dollar bill just when you need it the most and you keep thinking, I should bring this back, but you don't cause you need it and..."  
  
"Now don't go Willow on me B."  
  
Buffy could have felt shut down, but it just made her smile, she ordered the next round. Disgusted by the taste, but needing it just to get through the night.  
  
"So how was the sex? Must have been pretty damn good if you kept putting it out for him."  
Buffy licked her lips and sipped another gulp of beer.  
"Oh come on B. I'd tell you all about Robin. I got this great story of me, him and that rug in Giles office"  
  
Buffy spat out her beer.  
"I so didn't need to know that."  
  
"So how was it?" Faiths hands connected behind her head, pushing her breasts to the front, all blatant and wanton, making Buffy feel shy about her own cup size, or lack of it.  
  
"He had this thing he could do with his tongue. Like going to nirvana while he went down on you, and the way he flinched when you clenched his nipples." Buffy had no clue why she was talking about this, especially so openly. But somehow it felt right to tell Faith about this.  
"He showed me things about myself, things... I never knew I could ever want and then just when you think you've reached the bottom, he'd find something new to do. It's like Belgian chocolate, once you've tasted it, it's nigh impossible to stop."  
  
"So why'd you give it up?"  
  
Buffy took another beer.  
"Right now? I don't have a clue. It was all I'm wrong... this is wrong... I...  
It was killing the both of us. Me, him... like freefall, like I dragged him off the plane and we were both sinking with the ground ever closer. I hit the parachute and let him fall. And I can't even make it up to him."  
Faith touched her chin.  
"We were supposed to work it out, talk things out after the final battle, get things in order again... He wasn't supposed to die on me.  
  
Faith ordered another round and listened. She just sat there as Buffy cried; made jokes, tried to bring cheer, get her to spill happy memories. She'd never felt more sorry for Buffy, never been angrier with her.  
Was Robin her Spike?  
She didn't think so and ordered another beer.  
  
The End

Assignment:

Up to two other characters (besides Spike & Buffy) - optional: Tara or Faith 1-3 Requirements: Girl talk! I wanna hear Buffy explain what she likes about Spike. She can talk dislikes too, but hey, let's hear some good dish! Time period totally up to you. (I admit some preference for the she-talks-to-Faith idea, bonus points if you can set it in S3, but Tara in S6 is good too.) Drinks might be involved. And get some smut in there, somehow, either with Spike or... well, use your imagination. 1-3 Restrictions: No character bashing, and especially no comparing of body parts to earlier boyfriends. That's crass!


End file.
